Word for the day "Peer pressure the good, the bad and the ugly"

Proverbs 13:20 (NKJV) He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.

Integrity is the goal for leaders and emerging leaders.

Peer pressure can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending upon your peers. If your peers encourage you to make integrity a priority or not.

In fact, if your peers encourage you to follow God’s will and to have an authentic relationship with the Lord, then you will experience positive peer pressure, and that’s a great thing.

But, if you are involved with people who encourage you to do foolish things, you are facing a different kind of peer pressure, and you’d better beware.

(My late Mom Shirley Baker would say “Tell me the company you keep and I tell you who you are” read the quote below)

When you feel pressured to do things or to say things, that lead you away from God, your life is heading in the wrong direction.

The bible passage in Proverbs 10:9 says it this way “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out”.

Leaders of integrity are those who have integrated their inner and outer lives succinctly.

Are you satisfied to follow that crowd? If so, you may pay some serious consequences unless you have picked the right peer group.

And while you are deciding whom to follow, be sure you’re determined to follow the One leader of all leaders from Galilee, too.

And yes, His name is Jesus, and the Lord will guide your steps and bless your undertakings if you let Him.

Our challenge, of course, is to let Him. This idea of having integration take place in your inner and outer life is a life journey.

To sum it up, here’s some food for thought: you can choose to please God first (and by doing so, strengthen your character), or you can fall prey to peer pressure.

The choice is yours, and so are the consequences. When you are torn between trusting your peers and trusting your conscience, trust your conscience.

Today’s message is especially for parents, youth and young adults, mentors, teachers, spiritual leaders.

Quote: “Tell me what company you keep, and I’ll tell you what you are.” Miguel de Cervantes.Point to ponder

• Does living a life of integrity matter to you?
• Do you have someone you admire that encourages you in integrity?
• What is the difference between having integrity and not having integrity?
• How do you personally feel about someone who says one thing and does something else?
• Integrity means congruency between who a leader is and how they behave.

Special thanks!

Pastor James Baker, Jr. and Our Leadership team is especially thankful for those of you who provided financial donations and support in the month of October 2019 by partnering with us in efforts to advance the kingdom of God in this 21st century season: Special thanks to Mrs. Angela Harrison, Ms. Annette Straker, Mr. David Straker, Mr. William Jones, Mr. Kenneth Washington, Ms. Darlene Simmons,   Ms. Itholear Abbott,  Mrs. Barbara Mason, Ms. Mable Bazemore, Ms. Theresa Lewis, Mr. Ron Clarke, Ms. Divinia Stewart, Ms. Lykeisha Thompson, and Ms. Gertrude Scott.

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